In the metal manufacturing processes where electrolytic plating is used, vast numbers of anodes and cathodes are employed to collect or discharge metal. Other processes for treating liquid employ vertically oriented plates as electrodes, separators and the like.
In all of these industries, the transporting of the plates to vats and from storage and the like is required. Grabbing single plates with a hoist from transportation to or from remote locations is highly inefficient. Relatively complicated devices for grabbing a plurality of plates have until now required substantial labor to safely and selectively attach to the plates which are desired. Oftentimes, anodes and cathodes are adjacent one another, and only one or the other is to be transported. Electrolytic plating and other processes use dangerous chemicals which may be harmful to a worker required to come in close contact with the plates during movement of the plates. It is of substantial value to the metal processing industry and to other industries to have a device which permits the selective transportation of a plurality of vertically oriented plates with a minimum degree of difficulty.